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Using Word 2007 For Mail Merge

Introduction This document assumes that you are familiar with using Word for word processing, with the use of a computer keyboard and mouse and you have a working knowledge of Microsoft Windows.

Contents

1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1

2. Download files ................................................................................................................................. 2

3. Create mailing labels from a Word data source ...................................................................... 3

4. Edit the Data source....................................................................................................................... 8

5. Sort the Mail merge alphabetically .............................................................................................. 9

6. Filter the records to be merged ................................................................................................ 10

7. Merge to a Letter .......................................................................................................................... 12

8. Merge from an Excel Spreadsheet ............................................................................................. 14

9. Merge from an Access database ................................................................................................ 15

About this Document

Words in bold Will need to be typed or chosen from a menu or window

Small capitals – e.g. ALT Indicate keys that you press

Press KEY1 + KEY2 Press both keys together

Press KEY1, KEY2 Press each key consecutively

Bulleted lists Are guidelines on how to perform a task

Choose Insert - Picture Show Ribbon commands – in this case, choose the option Picture from the Insert Ribbon at the top of the screen

Mail Merge Doc. 5.161

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1. Introduction Objectives To introduce the main concepts and terms used in mail merge

1.1 Mail Merge Structure You may use Word’s Mail merge function to produce standard letters or labels for sending to groups of people. The mail merge itself is comprised of • A main document – in effect, a template, that contains standard text that will not

change on each letter or label and the markers to hold the information that will change – names, addresses and so on.

• A data source, containing the information to be fitted in to the main document. The

data source must be a table of information, but whether that table is a Word document, an Access table or an Excel spreadsheet does not matter – you should store your information in whichever format suits you best.

When you run a merge you create a third document, which you should check and print but not save – the idea is to run the merge each time you want to run off labels or letters, so as to take account of any changes to the names and addresses in the data source.

1.2 The Mailings Ribbon

Different functions on the Ribbon will light up when applicable – those in the Write & Insert Fields group will not be available until you have chosen a data source (via Select Recipients). The two icons in the Create group, Envelopes and Labels, are not mail-merge functions, but allow you to enter details to print out one envelope, one label or a full page of the same label.

Doc. 5.161 Mail Merge

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2. Download files Objectives Download some data to save typing in names and addresses from scratch

2.1 Open Internet Explorer We will download a data source in a variety of formats, to use later on. • Open Internet Explorer • Browse to www.bbk.ac.uk/its/help/resources You will see a list of files. You should save four of them to your n: drive. • In turn, right-click on the files listed below • Choose Save Target As • Save the file to your n: drive • Click Close on the popup window when the file has been saved The files you need are Mergedata.doc Mergedata.mdb Mergedata.xls Mergeletter.doc


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3. Create mailing labels from a Word data source Objectives To create a template which links to our data source

Method Use Word’s Mail merge function to define the main document and the data source

3.1 Create a main document • Open Word (under Start – Programs) Mail merge options are accessible from the Mailings Ribbon • Choose Mailings • Click on Start Mail Merge and choose Labels, as below

The window shown in Figure 3-1 will appear, asking what type of labels will be used – if you are unsure, their type is usually printed on the sheet and on the box.

• Select the label manufacturer from the drop-down list • Scroll down to the correct label type (note that for speed you can click into the

list and then begin typing the Product number to jump down it), select it and click OK

Figure 3-1

Once you have picked the type of label, Word should divide the document up into labels – the easiest place to spot whether it has or not is from the ruler. Check it is divided into columns. If it is not, create a new document and repeat the above.


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3.2 Select the data source We now need to tell Word where our data is kept. We have downloaded three potential sources – all containing the same information – and will use the Word document. • Click on Select Recipients and then choose Use Existing List

Figure 3-2

• The file browser will open, at the Data sources folder – ignore that and browse to wherever you saved the documents we downloaded earlier

• Double click on mergedata.doc (or single-click and choose open if you prefer) Word has now linked the main document and the data source. Although nothing is displayed by default, you may browse the list of recipients if you wish; this is optional. • Click Edit Recipient List The first few recipients are shown – note that you may use this screen to remove people from the mail merge by unticking the box next to their name or by using the Filter option to exclude groups

Figure 3-3

3.3 Layout the labels The next step is to tell Word where to place each individual item of data from the data source on the labels. Word will try to group any address and addressee fields together


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so as to make it easier. • Click on Address Block The popup window allows you to check where each field will appear on the label - The box to the left allows you to select a different format for recipients’ names

(though note that it will not insert information that is not contained in the data source, so selecting “Mrs X Y” will still only come out as “X Y” unless you have a field containing the salutation)

- The Match fields button allows you to check that Word has picked out all fields containing address information (of particular use if any of your fields have an unusual name)

• Click on Match fields Word has found the Surname field, but not that for First name

Figure 3-4

• Use the drop-down to tell Word to use the Forename field as First Name, as above • Use the drop-down to tell Word to use the Address3 field as City • Click OK • Click OK That has set up only the first label – it is important that you now click the Update labels button, as in Figure 3-7

Figure 3-5

3.4 Preview your Labels The mail merge is now set up, we may now see the labels with details filled in. • Click Preview results The number shown in the screenshot dictates which record is displayed first – if your preview appears to be missing a few records, change this number to 1.


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You will see name and address details from the data source within the main document.

• Click Finish & Merge You may send the merged document straight to a printer, but the top option is recommended, to allow you to see the labels on screen before they are printed.

Figure 3-6

Whichever option you choose, Word will ask which records you wish to include in the final document that is produced.

Figure 3-7

Usually you will want all records and can thus click OK

3.5 Final Steps Once you have printed the document, it is important to remember that you should save the main, original, document. If you click on Edit individual labels, a document called Labelsx.docx will be created. This document may be printed, but should not be saved if your data source will change as it is a snapshot of the data – any new additions will not be added. • Save the main document as Mailing Labels.doc On clicking Save, you may see a message asking if you want to save the data source as well, as in Figure 3-8 – click Yes


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Figure 3-8

3.6 Reusing the document Once you have saved the main document, you may re-use it as many times as needed, re-running the merge each time to take account of any new additions. When you open a mail merge main document again, the popup in Figure 3-9 will appear – this re-links the main document to its data source, and you should click Yes to continue.

Figure 3-9


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4. Edit the Data source Objectives To change the data contained in the merge, and check that the updated information

is included on the labels

4.1 The data source structure The data source we used in the above example is simply a word document with information contained in a table. • Open mergedata.doc There are a few rules if you are to produce a mail merge data source. The document

1. should be a table, with no other formatting 2. the top of the document should be the top row of the table – do not include a

heading or other text before it 3. the top row of the table should contain headings. These become the “merge

fields” we used above

4.2 Add a record • Scroll to the end of the document • Add a new record with your own information (to add a new line to a word table, click into the last cell and press the TAB key) • Save and close the document

4.3 Testing the mail merge We will run the original merge again and check that the new record appears in the results. • Open your document, Mailing Labels.doc – you should find it listed at the

bottom of the File menu, which lists the most recent files opened Word will ask for confirmation that you want to link the document with the data source, as in Figure 4-1

Figure 4-1

• Click Yes Word should automatically update the preview with the new details. Check that your address appears on the list that is produced – it will be at the end. If Word encounters problems and will not relink to the data source, you may need to set up the mail merge link again, as before.


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5. Sort the Mail merge alphabetically Objectives To sort the generated document into alphabetical order

5.1 Mail merge toolbar The individuals in the mail-merged documents we have produced so far have appeared in the same order as in the data source. It might be more useful to put them in alphabetical order. • Use the tabs at the bottom of the screen to return to Mailing Labels.doc (or open it

again if you have closed it) • On the Mailings Ribbon, click on Edit Recipient List The data source will pop up You may sort by any field in the document – there is a button for Sort, below the data source, but clicking on any heading will also sort the data by that field. Use the Sort button to sort by more than one field. • Click on Surname The data within the popup and the document itself are sorted alphabetically by surname. • Click OK

Figure 5-1


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6. Filter the records to be merged Objectives To filter the mail merge document so as to use only some of the names and

addresses in the data source

6.1 Filter by Field The same option as in the previous exercise may be used to include only certain records in the mail merge. You may filter records by individually ticking the records to be used in the data source, though it will generally make sense to add a field (a column of the data source) specifically for this purpose – that field need not appear on the final, merged document. The data source we used earlier has a ‘group’ field to delineate individuals. • Click on Edit Recipient List

Figure 6-1

The tickboxes on the left of the list allow you to select or deselect individuals.

Figure 6-2

• Scroll to the right to find the Group field Should you choose to add a field to group your address details, it can be called anything you want, and contain any information you want – numbers, abbreviations etc. The drop down at the top allows you to select a value on which to group records – in this case, all individuals are either “friend” or “colleague”

Figure 6-3


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• Click on the arrow to the right of Group and select colleague from the drop-down menu

The list is reduced to include only those with the word colleague in the group field • Click OK Clicking on Preview Results will now show only five records.

6.2 More Advanced options You may want to have several ways of marking different people in your data source. More advanced options are available from the drop-down menu to give more flexibility.

• Click on the Edit Recipient List icon • Scroll to the right to find the Group field and use the drop down

to select All to show all records Note that the Group field’s drop-down arrow appeared blue to show that a filter had been applied. • Click on the drop-down arrow next to the Surname field and

select Advanced (at the bottom of the list)

Figure 6-4

The Query options window pops up, allowing you to specify a range of options • In the example in Figure 6-5, two surnames are specified and only those records will

be merged

Figure 6-5

• In the different example in Figure 6-6, surnames beginning with A-G are ruled out

Figure 6-6


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7. Merge to a Letter Objectives To produce a mail merged letter from our current data source

7.1 Set up the letter and choose the Data Source We will use the letter document downloaded earlier to produce merged letters. The process is similar to setting up labels. • Open the document mergeletter.doc This short letter will be our mail merge main document. • If it is not shown, click on the Mailings Ribbon • Click on Start Mail Merge and choose Letters • Click on Select Recipients and click Use Existing List

7.2 Add merge fields To insert merge fields, click to place the cursor at the correct place in the document, and choose the field to insert from the Mail merge dialogue. • Click into the document at the top left and then on

the Address block icon • Use the Match Fields button to assign the

Forename field to “First Name” and Address3 to City, as in Figure 7-1

Figure 7-1

To add other fields, you should use the Insert Merge Field icon. • Place the cursor before the , of Dear , • Click on the lower half of the Insert Merge Field icon • Click on Forename to add a placeholder for that field

Figure 7-2

• Place the cursor between “valued of” • Click on the lower half of Insert Merge Field • Click on Group • Click Preview Results


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Note that clicking on the upper half of the Insert Merge Field icon will display a list of all available merge fields, and is most useful if you want to insert several at once. If you do so, don’t forget to add spaces and/or carriage returns in between the new merge fields so they are not added to the letter jammed together.

7.3 Preview merged letters The letter document will now show the letter with information from the first record from the data source filled in If there are any errors – e.g. no space between <<forename>> and <<surname>> – you should fix them on the mail merge main document by clicking on Preview Results again. That icon acts as a toggle, so clicking it again will switch the preview off and allow you to edit the main document. To preview other records, use the arrows as in Figure 7-3

Figure 7-3

7.4 Complete the Merge Finally you may print all the letters.

• Click Finish & Merge then Edit Individual Documents

Figure 7-4

That will create a new document with each letter on a new page. To send all the letters to a printer, click Print Documents from the list in Figure 7-4. Note that using the normal print command on this screen will not merge the data source with the letter and thus print only the record that is currently being previewed. To see all the letters in a separate document, click Edit Individual letters. Whichever option you choose, the confirmation screen shown will pop up – click OK to merge all records.

Figure 7-5


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8. Merge from an Excel Spreadsheet Objectives To produce labels as before, but using an Excel spreadsheet as the data source

8.1 Set up the document Producing the main document follows the same pattern as before, with just the data source being different. • Close and save any mail merge main documents or data sources that are open in

Word • Start a new document (CTRL+N or click the icon at the top left of the screen) • Choose Mailings – Start Mail Merge • Choose Labels from the list • Choose the label size required – remember that popular Avery size labels will appear

under Avery A4 and A5 sizes • Click OK • Click Select recipients and choose Use Existing List

8.2 Choose the data source We now need to tell Word which data source to use. We use the same menu as before, but need to tell Word to look for Excel spreadsheets. • Click on the Browse link • Browse to wherever you saved the downloaded files earlier and double click on the

file mergedata.xls to make it the data source (you may single-click and choose open if you prefer)

Figure 8-1

The window shown in Figure 8-1 will appear. For a more complicated spreadsheet there might be several options (representing different sheets within the Excel workbook), but for our purposes there is only the one. • Click OK Again the list of recipients will pop up.


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• Click Ok

8.3 Set up the labels The rest of the exercise is the same as that completed above. • Click Address Block • Click on the Match Fields button • Use the drop-downs to add the Forename field to the

First Name and Address3 to the City fields • Click Update all labels on the mail merge window

Figure 8-2

• Click Preview results • Click Finish & Merge and choose Edit Individual Documents • Save the mail merge main document

9. Merge from an Access database Objectives To produce labels as before, but using an Access database as the data source

9.1 Set up the document Producing the main document follows the same pattern as before, with, again, just the data source being different. • Close and save any mail merge main documents or data sources that are open in

Word • Start a new document (CTRL+N or click the icon at the top left of the screen) • Choose Mailings – Start Mail Merge • Choose Labels from the list • Choose the label size required – remember that popular Avery size labels will appear

under Avery A4 and A5 sizes • Click OK • Click Select recipients and choose Use Existing List

9.2 Choose the data source The next step is to select the data source. Again, we use the Browse link, but must tell Word which type of file to use.

• Click on the Browse link • Browse to your n: drive and select the database, mergedata.mdb • The list of recipients pops up – click OK


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9.3 Set up the labels The rest of the exercise is the same as those completed above. • Click Address Block • Click on the Match Fields button • Use the drop-downs to add the Forename field to

the First Name and Address3 to the City fields • Click Update all labels on the mail merge window

Figure 8-1

• Click Preview results • Click Finish & Merge and choose Edit Individual Documents • Save the mail merge main document

Document 5.161 Version 1 March 2009